Reversible sound recording mechanism



Sept. 7, 1943. H. P. CLAUSEN 2,329,105

REVERSIBLE SOUND RECORDING MECHANISM Filed Nov. 7, 1940 INVENTOR, Henry F. C/aysgn Patented Sept. 7, 1943 REVERSIBLE SOUND RECORDING MECHANISM Henry Peter Clausen, White Plains, N. Y., assignor to The Gray Manufacturing Company, Hartford, Conn., a corporation of Connecticut Application November 7, 1940, Serial, No. $64,6l6

7 Claims. (01. 274-12) This invention iscohcerned with improvements in machines for recording dictation, and vmore broadly sound on record discs or tablets closed has some features in common with a type of recording machine particularly adapted for dictation purposes as disclosed in Patent Number made from a thin sheet of suitable material, f

such as cellulose acetate.

An object of this invention is the provision of a novel-form of driving mechanism in a machine of this type by means ofwhich the record disc is caused to revolve on an axis which at the same timeis moving radially in a straight line with respect to the axis of rotation.

Another object of the invention is the provision of novel form of mechanism by means of which therotational and translational movement of the record-disc may..be easily produced in either direction'for the purpose of recording and reproducing sound and forbaok spacing when it is desired to repeat a' portion of the recorded matter during reproduction.

A' still further object of the invention is the provision with mechanism of this typeof an indicating device for indicating on a suitable record slip the data commonly associated with the use of dictation machines for indicating the points where corrections are to be made in the dictation, the finish or end of a particular piece of dictation, and similar data.

Itis a further object of the invention to provide' in relation to the. indicating mechanism an arrangement whereby the indicator may have a proportionately larger movement than the relative movement between the record tablet and the recording or reproducing device, whereby more space is provided on the record slip to facilitate the accurate indication thereonof the points'pf correction, finish, andthe like.

Another object of the invention involves the provision withindicating mechanism of this type of a novel form of marking mechanism for applying the correction, finish and similar mark- I ings to the record slip.

In addition to these objects there are a num- 4 her of more detailed objects, the nature of which will be-best appreciated from the following detailed description of theembodiment of the invention illustrated in the drawing for the purpose of disclosing the nature and scope thereof.

This invention resides substantially in the combination, construction, arrangement, relative location of parts, steps and series of steps, all

as,will be explained in full detail hereinafter.

In the accompanying'drawing, Figure 1 is a diagrammatic, front'elevational view of the essential elements of the 'novel com bination ofthe invention.

Figure 2 is a diagrammatic right hand end view of a portion of the drive mechanism.

Figure 3 is a plan view of one of the record discs or tablets employed with this invention.

In a general sense the invention herein dis- 2,296,870 issued September 29, 1942 to Barton A. Proctor et a1.

Brief reference to the general nature of the dictating machine of the above-mentioned application is desirable in order to form a background upon which to clearly distinguish the differences between the machine of that invention and the machine herein disclosed. In that machine, as in the present machine, the record disc or tablet consists of a thin sheet in the form of a disc of material suitabale for thepurpose of having a sound record imposed or impressed thereon,

such as cellulose acetate. The record discs of each machine are in the general form illustrated atl in Figures 1 and 3 of this application. They comprise a uniformly thin disc of cellulose acetate, smooth on both sides, and having a central aperture, as indicated at 5', which is provided with a serrated edge so that the disc may be keyed on the spindle of the dictation machine for rotation with it.

In the machine of the above-mentioned application, as in the machine herein disclosed, re-

cording is begun near the center of the disc on a radius of about .two and one-half inches. The

. first line of recording is diagrammatically illustrated in Figure 3 as at S, while the final line is at F. As a result of the rotational and translational movement of the record, an extremely fine spiral record groove or depression is formed, extending radially from the points S to F.

, In a practical form of these machines the distance between adjacent convolutions of the spiral is 'aboutj0.01 inch. By reason of the nature of the drive employed in the machine of the above-mentioned application, the record disc is preferably of a thickness of about five mils, but by reason of the different form of mechanism herein disclosed, therecord disc is preferably of a thickness of 2.5 mils, or even Generally speaking this is a result of the fact thatthe mechanism for causing both rotational and translational movement includes as an element thereof the record disc. In the ma'- chine of this application the record disc is an element of the mechanism only to the extent to effect rotation thereof .while the translation thereof is caused by different mechanism. The result is that the strain on the disc is much less in the later machine and therefore the lighter disc may be employed which for reasons some of which will be explained later, is desirable.

Theobjects and functions of the mechanism of the machine of this application can best be explained after-describing the illustrated em-. bodiment thereof in detail. The record disc I is shown mounted upon a vertical spindle 2,

which is journalled on the upper end of a ,car-

. riage member 4 .by means of a suitable bearing so that the carriage may slide back and forth.

thereon. A threaded rod 9 is connected'to the carriage 4 as shown so that it may rotate on its longitudinal axiswith respect to the carriage. A shaft Ill forms a sliding fit with a longitudinal passage through the threaded rod 9'and the lon-.

gitudinal slot thereof engages with a key on the shaft 9 (not shown) to form the usual spline or feather connection'whereby rotation of shaft II) will cause rotation of threaded rod 9 while permitting sliding movement thereof along the shaft ||J Sliding movement of the threaded rod 9 is effected by reason of the engagement therewith of ahalf nut l2 which is fixed so that as the rod 9 rotates it is caused to move to the right or left depending upon the direction of rotation thereof. By this construction the carriage 4 is likewise caused to move either to the right or left, sliding along the guide bars 1 and 3. The details of a suitable half nut mechanism which could be used are not herein disclosed, as it is believed that this is not necessaryto an understanding of the invention, but a suitable form thereof'will be found in the above-mentioned patent.

Shaft I is provided with a pulley which is connected by a belt Hi to a pulley H on a shaft l8. The shaft I8 is journalled in a yoke IS on the end of a lever which is pivoted on. a shaft 29 so that the yoke l9 and shaft l8 may move bodily up and downs. short distance. A friction drive wheel 2| faced, for example, with soft rubber is mounted on one end of the shaft 8, while a similar wheel 22 is mounted on the other end.

A shaft 23 journalled in suitable bearings (not shown) lies below the shaft l8 and parallel thereto. It is provided with a resiliently faced wheel 24 at one end and a similar wheel 25 at the other. The wheel engages the lower face of the record disc I and the wheel 2| also engages the disc but on its upper face,.when the yoke I9 is moved downwardly to close the. a between the wheel and the disc. The details of this part of the mechanism are not shown as believed not necessary to an understanding of' the invention but suitable structure of this kind is disclosed in the above-mentioned patent.

The wheels 22 and 25 are of different diameters, the former being smaller than the latter. A driving wheel 26 faced with frictional material is mounted on a shaft 21 journalled in a suitable support 23 on the end of a lever 28' pivoted at 28" so that the shaft 21 and wheel 26 may be moved upwardly and downwardly short distances to cause its engagement with either the wheel 22 or the wheel 25, as will be apparent from Fig. 2. A suitable power source such as an electric motor is to be connected to the shaft 21 to cause rotation thereof.

As disclosed in the above-mentioned application, and as is kno-wnin a general sense in many forms in the art, the recording and reproduction of sounds on and from the record disc I can be accomplished by recording and reproducing heads having-styli. The recordingstylus is diagrammatically illustrated at 30 and wouldform a. part of an electromagnetic actuating unit, not shown, as being well knownin the art. These devices actuate the stylus'in a vertical direction, in accordance with variations in electrical currents representative of the sound, to impress a permanent record on the disc. The reproducing stylus 29 forms part of the reproducing head i, also known in the arts in a number of forms.

In accordance with this invention, and as disclosed in the above-mentioned patent, a preferred form of reproducing head is of the type employing a suitably ground piezoelectric crystal which generates electric currents when set in vibration by the stylus engaging previously formed record grooves. As disclosed in the above-mentioned application, any suitable form of mechanism may be provided for alternately positioning either of the styli for engagement with the record disc I, depending upon whether the operation of recording or reproduction is to be performed. As disclosed in the above-mentioned patent, a rotatable anvil or platen wheel is mounted under the record disc I so asto back it up at the point at which the styli operate.

The carriage is provided with a pointer or indicator |3 attached thereto so as to move along a record strip H which may be a suitably ruled strip ofpaper upon which the proper marks may be made to indicate the desires of the dictator to the transcriber. A feature of this invention includes a mechanism for magnifying the movements of the carriage to provide more space and allow for a more accurate indication on the chart strip of the points in the sound record to which the data applies. An arm 3| is secured to the carriage 4 and connects at its lower end with an endless belt 32, travelling over a pair of rollers or wheels 33 or 35 respectively mounted on the shafts 34 and/or 36 for rotation. Also mounted on the shafts 34 and 36 respectively are a pair of large rollers'or wheels 31 and 39 which are connected by an endless belt 38. I Secured to the endless belt 38 is an indicator arm 40 which may be in th form of a pointer like the pointer |3 or in the mechanism illustrated may comprise a support for a pair of electromagnetically operated marking devices 42 and 43. These devices are knownin many forms and have-not therefore been shown in any further detail. They are arranged so that they each operate over a separate longitudinal portion of an enlarged record strip 4| suitably ruled. The marking device 42 may be employed for example to make correction indicating marks on the chart 4|, while the device 43 may be employed to make finish indicating marks on the record 4|. The

. record 4| may be in the form of a paper strip suitably mounted and removable, as in the case of the strip l4, for transmission by the dictator with the record disc to the transcriber.

The electrically operated markers 42 and 43 have one terminal of each connected to a common lead 44 which, in turn, is connected to one terminal of an energy source transformer 45. The other terminal of this secondary is connected to the common terminal of a pair of control switches 46 and 41. The other terminal of the marking device 42 is connected to the other contact of switch 49 by the wire 48, while the other terminal of the marking device 43 is connected to the other contact of the switch 41 by the wire 49. A suitable source of alternating current operating energy is diagrammatically illustrated at 50 as connected tothe primary of the transformer 45.

airing to dictate will apply a blank record disc I to the spindle 2 sothat it is keyed thereon as previously explained; Nut I2 is raised on engagement with the threaded shaft 9 and carriage l wishedtoh'ear.

is moved to the extreme right, at which time the recording stylus when moved into contact with the disc will be near the center of the disc, that is, about on the radius of the spiral groove S, Fig. 3. Nut I2 is dropped back into engagement with rod 10 9 and the recording head is moved so that its stylus engages the record disc.

Suitable data recording slips l6 and 4! are placed in the machine if both types of indicator are used, which probably they wouldnot be in a 1- commercial machine. 'A suitable place would, of

course, be provided onv the machine that was properly shaped and sized so that the slips when mounted thereon would be accurately positioned.

To set the machine in operation, the shaft 2120 would be set in operation. Shaft It would be moved into position so that the wheel 2i engages the upper surface of the disc l. Wheel 28 would be moved into engagement with wheel 25, leaving the shaft l8 and its wheels to rotate asap idler. Shaft it would be caused to revolve through the belt it, which, if necessary, could be a spring belt to ensure proper tension for all positions of shaft it.

Thus the disc i would be rotated about the vertical axis of the spindle 2 and at the same time threaded shaft 9 would be rotating about the axis of shaft it whichis also rotating. Because of the splined connection between the rod9 and shaft iii, and the engagement of the fixed nut i2 with the rod 9, the carriage would be slowly translated to the left, carrying disc i with it so that a spiral groove would be formed in the record disc. The spacing between the grooves would,

of course, be determined by the proportion'of the 40 parts but a minimum spacing of about 0.01 inch is practical.

As the carriage moves to the left, and the recording increases in spirals of ever increasing radius, the pointer l3 would move along the chart i l from the right towards the left. Should the dictator desire to indicate a correction in his dictation at any point, he would make a suitable mark on the chart M opposite to the pointer 63.

Or, if he had reached the end of a particular piece 5 of dictation, he could make a suitable mark oppo site the pointer is on the chart MI If the magnifying apparatus is used he would make similar marks on the chart El. In this case,- in order to make a correction mark, he would close switch ltmomentarily energizing the electrical mark-, ing device 42 to cause it to make a mark on the chart ii indicating quite accurately thecorrection point. If he wished to make a finish mark he would simply close switch 41, energizing the 0 marking device 63. I

If at any time during dictation the dictator wished to back space the apparatus for any purpose, in order to hear what had been previously recorded, he, would accomplish it with this mechanism in the following manner. Wheel 26 would be swung upwardly into engagementwith wheel '22 and out of engagement with wheel .25, in any suitable manner, and preferably, of course, by

means of easily actuated mechanism. This would v v produced by the machine of this application the right. During this backspacing operation it would be preferable to raise the record stylus outof engagement with the disc, which would have to be done anyway so as to'appiy the reproducing stylus 29 tothe disc so that the dictator could reproduce the portion of 'the record he It will be noted thatwheel 22 is smaller. than wheel 25 so thatduring backspacing the mechanism can be driven at a more rapid rate, since I,

by the dictator through suitable sound reproducing apparatus connected to the reproducing head of whichthe stylus 29 is a part.

' This machine is, of course, suitable for use'by the transcriber-as well as the dictator, the only .difierence being that a transcriber would receive a recorded disc with its data slip and would apply them to the machine which would then be operated to reproduce the record in a suitable sound reproducing apparatus. The transcriber could back space to repeat parts of the record when desired in a manner just like that described above- As' the pointer, i3 or the marking devices move opposite the data on the slips it and/or ti, the transcriber would be apprised of instructionsto follow for a correction or to the effect that the end of the dictation had been reached.

It will be noted that the spaces between the,

vertical rulings on the charts id and M are of gradually decreasing width from one end towards the other, and that certain marks have been applied to the record i in Fig. 3 which are likewise of gradually decreasing separation. This is because of the fact that as the recorded spiral increases in diameter a given number of words will be recorded in a decreasing radial space. Thus, for example, referring to Fig. 3, it would take say the radial space a to record one hundred words, while at the end of the record it would take the much smaller radial space 11 to record one hundred words. For this reason the spaces in the charts would be of decreasing width.

The reason why a thinner record may be employed with the mechanism of this invention, as distinguished from that of the above-mentioned application, is found, in the fact that the record disc I in this mechanism does not have to drive the carriage. It need only be strong enough to be adaptable for its intended uses since it only encounters relatively light resistance forces retire record and would be, for example, as stated above,.as a-practical embodiment 0.01 inch. The spacing between the spiral grooves in the record would gradually increase so that for a disc of about twelve inches in diameter the spacing would be about twice as great at the'encl of the record than at the" beginning. For example, if

at the beginning the spacing was 0.01 inch, at the end it would be 0.02 inch. ltfollows that for a record of about this size with the machine disclosed in the above-mentioned patent, there are about 360 spiral grooves containing approximately 1100 words in the average full record. On the other hand with the machine of this application there would only be about 330 complete spirals containing about 685 words of average dictation. However this loss in capacity of the record is more than offset by the fact that it is possible to use a record disc at least half asthin as that used in the machine of the other patent, and as a consequence the cost only about half as much. K

An important advantage of a machine of this type is that otherrecord materials may be em-- ployed which are not inherently as strong as a cellulose acetate disc. For example it is possible to employ emulsion coated paper which would be entirel satisfactory for the purpose and be still cheaper.

3. In a sound machine, the combination comprising a carriage having a rotatable spindle journalled thereon, said spindle being adapted to receive a record tablet for rotation therewith, means engaging said record tablet to effect rotation ofit together with said spindle in either direction,

- means forsupporting said carriage for movement It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the form of markingmechanism disclosed in Fig. -l as electrically operated, is adaptable for use in a remote control system where the entire recording machine is at a distance, such as a central point for a group of dictators, because in this case it would provide for each machine a set of control switches 46 and I! at the dictation station and, although the entire mechanism is at'the remote point, thedictator is able to make the proper marks on the chart 4|. Thus this feature of the invention is adaptable to the remotely controlled installation. The other parts of the machine are capable of construction in a form for remote control, as indicated in the above-mentioned patent.

From the above description it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the principles and structural combinations of this invention may be embodiedin other physical forms without departure from the novel subject matter thereof. Ido not, therefore, desire to be limited to the disclosure as given for purposes of illustrating onlyv one form of the invention, but

' rather to the scope of the claims granted me.

What is claimed is:

1. In a machine of the type described, the combination including a carriage supported for rectilinear movement, a rotatable record receiving spindle journalled on said carriage, means engageable with a record when applied to said spindle for effecting rotation thereof, means connected to said carriage for effecting said rectilinear movement, and driving means for operating both of said last two means to effect-reversible rotation of said spindle and movement of said carriage.

2. In a machine of the' type described, the

combination including a carriage supported for rectilinear movement, a rotatable record receiving spindle journalled on said carriage, means engageable with a record when applied to said spindle for effecting rotation thereof, meansconnected to said carriage for effecting its rectilinear movement, and driving means for operatversible rotation of said spindle and movement of said carriage, said last means causing said.

radially of said spindle in either direction, means for causing said radial movement of the carriage, a chart, marking means for said chart movable with said carriage proportionally to its movement, and control means for actuating said marking means to apply suitable marks to said chart.

4. In a machine of the type described a rotatble spindle for a record tablet and means for reversibly rotating said spindle when supporting a record tablet comprising a pair of rotatably supported friction wheels radially aligned and positioned so that one of said wheels engages the record tablet on one side when mounted on said spindle and the other friction wheel is engageable with it on the opposite side, means for movably supporting said second friction wheel for engagement and disengagement with the record tablet, and a movably supported drive member movable to either of two positions to drive either versibly' rotating said spindle when supporting a record tablet, comprising a friction wheel journaled so as to engage one face of the record tablet.

a second friction wheel journaled on a movable support positioned so that the second friction wheel. may be moved to engage the record tablet ing both of said last two means to effect reat a point opposite to the point of engagement of the first mentioned friction wheel, and means for driving either of said friction wheels independently but in opposite directions.

6. In a machine of the type described a carriage, a spindle joumaled on said carriage and adapted to support a record tablet, means for supporting the carriage for radial movement with.

respect to said spindle, a pair of rotatable friction wheels-positioned-radially with respect to each other so as to be engageable with a record tablet mounted on said spindle, one of said friction wheels continuously engaging the record tablet and the other being movable into and out of engagement with the record tablet, means for driving either of said friction wheels independently but in opposite directions, and means driven from one of said friction wheels for causing radial movement of said carriage.

' 7. In a machine of the type described a carriage,

a spindle joumaled on said carriage and adapted.

to support a record tablet, means for supporting the carriage for radial movement with respect to said spindle, a pair of rotatable friction wheels positioned radially with respect to each other so asto be engageable with a record tablet mounted on said spindle, one' of said friction wheels continuously engaging the record tablet and the other being movable into and out of engagement with the record tablet, a driver movable into driving relation with either of said friction wheels to effect rotation thereof but in opposite directions, and means driven with one of said friction wheels for causing radial movement of said carriage.

HENRY PETER CLAUSEN. 

